Combine romance short stories by some awesome authors, the addiction of solitaire and the appeal of beautiful graphics and you have one almighty unholy time suck. Seriously, some of you may never forgive me. I’m not even kidding. For a limited time, Heartwild Solitaire Classic is available free for download from Orchid Games. Orchid asked seven romance authors to write short stories for the solitaire game, and if you win a game, you get to … Continue reading Heartwild Solitaire Classic: Free, Cheezy Bread, Free!→
Sometimes, a romance is like a souffle. It’s all delicate and airy: there’s some fat and egg white for structure, and it’s sweet and light, and it can be satisfying, if not the most rib-sticking, satisfying thing you’ve ever eaten. But sometimes, because it’s a souffle, one little thing will break it, and the whole puffy thing that until that moment was fun and simple and pleasing will collapse while you stare in horror because … Continue reading An Unlikely Setup by Margaret Watson→
I think it’s impossible to accurately determine HOW one influence has changed something WHILE that change is still ongoing. So while articles that attempt to determine how ebooks and digital connective technology have or will changed reading are interesting, such as this NPR article about digital reading and how it has changed reading and writing, I tend to read them with a very sizable grain of salt. (Thanks to Christine D. for the link.) NPR’s … Continue reading Reading, Writing, and Technology: Changing Readers and Reading→
As part of their 60th Anniversary year, Harlequin gave away 16 free titles and set a goal of putting a romance in the hands of over 1 million women. I inquired at the end of the year as to the total number of downloads they received for their free book promotion, and got the final tally as soon as they’d finished counting: over 2.5 million romances were downloaded as of 29 December 2009. That is … Continue reading Harlequin Reaches nearly 3 Million Free Books Downloaded in 2009→
Sad news: author Kathleen Givens passed away suddenly over the weekend. Givens wrote historical fiction for Pocket, and her most recent release was Rivals for the Crown. Our condolences to her family and friends, and to her fellow writers from the Whine Sisters author blog. In the comments, many people are recalling the first time they met her. It seems Ms. Givens met so many people in lines, bathroom queues or at RWA conferences – … Continue reading Kathleen Givens→
The more I read and discover about how bookselling works, and how some folks want to change it while others want it to remain the same, the more mystified I am about certain elements of the sales and recognition system, most particularly the rubric of what constitutes success. What constitutes great success in selling a book? Making a list. It’s not even making money, though that’s obviously an understood necessity. Everyone likes making money. But … Continue reading Platinum Books→
After seeing Laura Clawson‘s article about romance novels on Daily Kos, “Romance Reader, Unashamed” (and seeing the most awesome comment thread ever in terms of knowledge and enthusiasm) I had to get all nosy and beg Ms. Clawson for an interview. Behold! Laura’s a contributing editor at Daily Kos, and a senior writer at Working America. Even better, she’s a romance fan – wait until you see her favorites list. So what made you write … Continue reading Interview with Laura Clawson, Daily Kos Contributing Editor→
Earlier today, DataDiva forwarded me a link that nearly knocked me over. I’m still a little dumbstruck by it, and went around and around about linking to it here because, well, you should see how much I turn red at a compliment. It’s kind of scary. I look like I’m about to explode. The ever-awesome Linda Holmes of NPR.org’s Monkey See blog named me as one of her Top Ten Favorite Pop-Culture Humans of 2009. … Continue reading Good Heavens, I’m a Human. A Pop Culture Human!→
Jami has the most insane inquiry, and I’m so curious what series this is. Ever since your blog about vampires and werewolves, I’ve been trying to remember this series I was telling another lady about in that same thread. It all centered mostly around the one vampire, however in a side role was a female vampire. Here’s what I can remember about the series – Both vampires in question were French. He was originally going … Continue reading HaBO: Gene Kelly Lovin’ Vampires→
Yesterday I went to the mall to return a sweater and found myself fondling digital readers. It’s really quite risky to take me anywhere, I suppose. Me: Oooh. Sony Style store. Forgot this mall had one of those. Sony Style Store: Look! The Readers are right inside the door front and center. Come and feel the sleek power of my sexy Me: Ok! Sony Pocket: We’ve already been introduced. Me: Yup. Sony Touch: Hayadoin? Me: … Continue reading The Sony Daily Edition: a Drive-By Review→
Time to announce the winner for our holiday Caption That Cover contest, which I started calling “Caption Underpants” about 3pm on Christmas Eve when I’d snorted tea up my nose about six times already. Damn, you are some funny people. What’s in your egg nog? So, first, we have the Honorable Mention entries: Shirin Dubbin for “If that’s holly I’d expect a lot more pricks.” Warren for “Yeah Craig, I’m pretty sure it’s not deck … Continue reading Caption That Cover: Holiday Edition - The Winner!→
